Sony HVR-Z1E

...the quality is good but Sony still insist on putting vague controls for focus and iris control - there is no distance scale on the focus ring. The iris control is the fiddly little silver knob you can see in the picture. Headphone feed: as with all Sony camcorders the volume on the headphone socket is insufficient. Weight: this is a heavy beast - if you\'re thinking of operating hand-held for more than 3 minutes, think again. You cannot put this ...
...camera, with manual controls designed as an afterthought. If you are a pro looking for a proper, manual control creative device I would suggest looking at similar priced Canon products, or spend more and go for a Sony camera that takes interchangeable broadcast quality lenses and sits on your shoulder. ...

crware 14.12.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Sony HVR-Z1E

Ive used the Z1U on a few shoots and for the money being asked, it s an ok camera... Sony is getting a little cheap with their consumer and pro-sumer cameras. this one has decent imaging, but the image breaks up easily. the audio inputs leave something to be desired... fairly typical of sony and other manufacturers for this level of camera. Lacks true HD resolution and will not shoot 24p, which is reason enough not to buy it. instead it offers 'cineframe' which emulates 24p... which is in itself an emulation of 24fps. As the first decent hdv camera on the market, sony made lots of mistakes. you wont hate that you have one... it has great fcp and avid integration, but the firewire ports can blow easily... costing at least $1000 to replace. I think Panasonic and JVC are the leaders right now in these mid-range cameras. ...

artbyte 26.07.2007
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Review of Sony HVR-Z1E

...the BBC, similar to the Sony PD170 in terms of use its an absolute ideal piece of kit for anyone serious about film making. Obviously for those of you wanting a camera for the family you would want to steer clear of an idustry standard piece of equipment ( a sony Handycam would be better for that). The z1 ia all about customising, nearly everything can be changed maually, from white balance (how white the whites are) to the iris (how much light ...
...the case. AS with all sony cameras everything through the viewfinder looks black and white, which some find annoying, I don't becasuse its easier to tell how good/poor your lighting is. Its light but durable, with the buttons positioned exactly where you'd want them to be. Its easy to install lights or wireless mics onto the camera, and you can easily add a wide angle lens or a fish eye lens. Filters are easy to aply aswell. The sound is ok quaility ...

crissswan 13.06.2007 (14.06.2007) · Read full review
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Review of Sony HVR-Z1E

The Z1 is a truly amazing prosumer camera, and the definity choice for anyone interested in professional video production value. I personally shot 3 short films on this camera and am still to this day, BOLWN away by contrast range and the ability to modify absolutely everything. In 15 tapes of footage I can remember not a single dropout, which is quite amazing when placed alongside camcorders. The only drawback of this camera that I can think of ...
...compressed form of HD) is that there is no option to shoot a picture in progressive mode (non interlaced, fieldlewss single frames), although this can always be achieved in post, hoping you have the correct software and patience! I would HIGHLY reccomend this camera, for its durability, weight, ease of use and picture quality. ...

GarethG 21.08.2007 · Read full review
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Review of Sony HVR-Z1E